If you're American, you've probably played this game called tetherball. If you haven't played, no worries, here's an animation and a description from Wikipedia: Tetherball is a game where two players use their hands to strike a volleyball which is suspended from a stationary metal pole by a rope or tether. The two players stand on opposite sides of the pole, and each tries to hit the ball one way; one clockwise, and one counterclockwise. The game ends when one player manages to wind the ball all the way around the pole so that it is stopped by the rope. It must not bounce. As physics enthusiasts, let's consider what happens with the ball after the first hit. Take a look at Hugh's son batting the ball. Immediately after the hit, say the ball has speed v. The question we want you to think about is: Does this speed increase, decrease, or stay constant as it spirals inward? We hope it is already expected that, as a group, you consider different lines of reasoning, examine specific cases, bring up connections from experience, and think about it in terms of concepts worked throughout all the units of the course